Sauces were created from our constant need to make things tastier. The word “sauce” is a French word that means a relish to make our food more appetizing. Sauces are liquid or semi-liquid foods devised to make other foods look, smell, and taste better, and therefore more easily digested and more beneficial. Because of the lack of refrigeration in the early days of cooking, meats and other proteins didn’t last long. Sauces and gravies were often used to mask the flavor of tainted foods.
The word “sauce” comes from the Latin word salsus, meaning salt – the first type of flavoring we ever used. Meat, vegetables, and grains can be pretty bland on their own, which is why salt was used to boost natural flavors. Sauces, however, are much more complex than just simple flavorings like salt, pepper, or sugar. They provide a seductive mouthfeel to foods, give food more flavor, lends moisture, and also gives an attractive appearance to any dish. But when exactly did we start making proper sauces?
The first record (or recipe) of a sauce, dates to 25 BC. It’s a poem that describes a farmer making a sauce of sorts, by pounding herbs, cheese, vinegar, and oil – you could say it was the great-great-grandfather of the modern pesto! A little later, a Roman recipe book featured more than a hundred different recipes for sauces. They consisted of herbs, spices, honey, vinegar, and even fish sauce. Thickeners created the right consistency, and numerous ingredients were used for this purpose: finely ground nuts or rice, bread, egg yolks, or even pounded liver!
The history of sauces can be traced back to various regions. In China, soy sauces have been used for more than 2000 years. In India, a type of sauce thickened with spices was used in various dishes. Even the Mexican salsa can be classified as a type of sauce. But the place where sauces really started to become an art form, was France. Today, we have hundreds of different sauces. And for some chefs (especially those with a French background), a meal without a sauce is just not complete.
ASIAN BUTTER SAUCE
Makes about 2/3 cup
This is a variation on the Beurre Blanc sauce idea that uses Chinese flavors. It’s delicious served with grilled lamb chops or fishes like salmon, halibut or other white fish.
1-1/4 cups chicken stock, preferably low or no salt version
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1/8 teaspoon 5-spice powder
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Add the first 5 ingredients to a saucepan, bring to a boil and reduce over high heat to 2/3 cup, about 9 minutes. Reduce heat to low and whisk in butter a tablespoon at a time. Season with pepper and keep warm (not hot) for up to an hour.
ASIAN PEANUT SAUCE
Makes about 2 cups
This is a very easy to make sauce that is delicious drizzled over grilled meats, fish and vegetables. It’s a great sauce or condiment with rice and noodles. I also love it thickly spread on crusty bread and topped with grilled eggplant and red onions, sliced cucumber, shredded cabbage and carrots. Be sure to use “natural” peanut butter that is not hydrogenated. It’s high in monounsaturated fat and doesn’t have the trans fatty acids of regular peanut butter.
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
6 ounces (1/2 block) soft silken tofu
3 tablespoons palm* or light brown sugar
1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce (Lee Kum Kee makes a good one)
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/3 cup or so stirred coconut milk
Add the first 6 ingredients to a blender and blend on moderate speed till smooth. Add coconut milk to desired consistency. Store covered in refrigerator for up to 7 days.
*Palm sugar is honey colored and has a mild caramel-like flavor. It comes from the coconut or “sugar” palm tree from which the sap is taken and boiled down to make the sugar. It’s available in Asian markets, especially Southeast Asian.
BALSAMIC GLAZE FOR GRILLED OR PAN SEARED FISHES AND MEATS
Makes a little less than 1/2 cup
This is a simple but very flavorful finisher to a simple grilled or pans seared fish or meat. It can be made well ahead of time and simply drizzled on the hot fish or meat at serving time.
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (or to taste)
Add all ingredients to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook over high heat until mixture thickens, about 3 – 4 minutes. Drizzle over almost anything!
CHIMICHURRI SAUCE
Makes 2 1/2 cups
There is no “best” chimichurri sauce. Much like Mexican salsas, you can find different interpretations in different regions of South America, particularly in Argentina and Uraguay; it’s thought to have been brought over from the Basque region of Spain by immigrants settling in Argentina in the 19th century. (The name chimichurri might derive from a phonetic spelling of the Basque word tximitxurri, which can be loosely translated to mean “a bunch of things mixed together in no particular order.”) Chimichurri does not need to be an exact recipe—in fact, it’s actually better when it’s your recipe. Add a bit more of this or a bit less of that to make a chimichurri that pleases your palate, and use up whatever ingredients you have in your kitchen.
Traditionally, chimichurri is made by hand, not with a food processor. A food processor will create a sauce that’s a bit more of a blended paste, while mixing by hand results in a luscious condiment that drips off your food in rich, herbaceous slicks. It takes a bit more effort, but it’s well worth it.
1 small bunch flat leaf parsley
1 small bunch cilantro
¼ cup fresh oregano leaves
1 Tbsp. capers
1 small shallot, minced
4 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 small chili pepper, minced (optional)
2 Tbsp. sherry or red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
⅔ cup flavorful olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
Trim the bottoms off the parsley and cilantro. Use a chef’s knife with a rocking motion to finely mince the herbs, stems and all. Add the oregano leaves and capers to the pile and mince into the rest of the herbs, then move them all to a mixing bowl.
Stir in shallot, garlic, chili (if using), vinegar, lemon juice, and olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste, then allow to rest for at least 15 minutes, preferably longer. Taste again, and adjust with more salt/pepper/herbs/acid as you see fit. Chimichurri can be refrigerated in a glass jar or tightly sealed plastic container for up to three days.
ROMESCO SAUCE
Makes 2-1/2 cups
Romesco is a deeply flavored roasted sauce from the Catalonian region of Spain. It’s an amazingly versatile sauce that’s terrific served with everything from grilled vegetables and bread to shrimp, fish, chicken and steak.
4 dried Nora or ancho chiles (3/4 ounce), stemmed and seeded
4 sun-dried tomatoes
2 plum tomatoes
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Two 1/2-inch-thick slices of baguette
6 large garlic cloves, halved lengthwise
1/2 cup blanched almonds
1/4 cup blanched hazelnuts
1 roasted red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons minced parsley
Kosher salt
Pepper
In a medium saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the chiles and sun-dried tomatoes. Let stand until softened, about 1 hour. Drain, reserving the soaking liquid.
Meanwhile, roast the plum tomatoes directly over a flame or under the broiler until lightly charred in spots and the skin is blistered. Let cool, then peel and coarsely chop.
In a medium skillet, heat 1/4 cup of olive oil until almost smoking. Add the bread and garlic and cook over moderately high heat, turning occasionally, until browned all over, 2 to 3 minutes. Using tongs, transfer to a plate. Add the almonds and hazelnuts to the skillet and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until browned, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to the plate. Reserve the garlic oil.
In a food processor, pulse the bread, garlic and nuts until very finely chopped. Add the drained chiles and sun-dried tomatoes, the roasted tomatoes and bell pepper and the paprika, puree until smooth. With the machine on, gradually add the vinegar, 1/3 cup of the chile soaking liquid, 1 tablespoon of the garlic oil and the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in the parsley and season generously with salt and pepper.
Romesco can be refrigerated for up to 4 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
GINGER CREAM SAUCE
Makes about 1 cup
This is a wonderful all purpose sauce for meats, fish and vegetables.
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger
1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1/3 cup dry white wine, stock or apple juice
3/4 cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Fresh lemon juice
Add ginger, sugar, vinegar and wine to a small saucepan and heat to boiling. Add the cream and bring it back to the boil. Stirring often reduce to about 1 cup, 6 – 8 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer and season to your taste with salt, pepper and drops of lemon juice. Keep warm next to the stove.
GRAPEFRUIT SAUCE
Makes about 3/4 cup
This tart-sweet sauce is delicious with all kinds of grilled and roasted meat. Note the addition of the bit of fresh grapefruit juice at the end. This “brightens” the rich sauce and adds aromatics of the fruit that are lost when it’s cooked.
1-1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
2 cups rich chicken or duck stock
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon grapefruit juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Add the balsamic vinegar and sugar to a saucepan and cook over high heat until the sugar is melted and the mixture is reduced to a syrupy consistency, about 2 minutes. Add the stock and 1 cup of the grapefruit juice and reduce over high heat to 3/4 cup or so, 15 – 18 minutes. Whisk in the cream and continue to reduce until sauce is thickened, 3 – 4 minutes. Off heat, stir in remaining 1 tablespoon grapefruit juice, season to your taste with salt and pepper and keep warm. Can be made ahead and gently reheated.
MISO LIME CREAM SAUCE
Makes about 2 cups
One of my favorite sauce with mild fish dishes.
1/2 cup chopped shallots or green onions
1-1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
2-1/2 cups dry white wine
1-1/4 cups heavy cream
1 two-inch piece lime peel
4 tablespoons Shiro miso
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
Sauté shallots and mushrooms in three tablespoons of butter until lightly browned. Add ginger and wine and reduce by half.
Add cream and lime peel and reduce to a light sauce consistency. Strain carefully. Whisk in miso, lime juice and remaining butter. Correct seasoning with salt and pepper. Keep sauce warm. Can be made 2 hours prior to serving.
BAGNA CAUDA
Makes about 1 cup
Literally “hot bath,” this dipping sauce for vegetables often appears in many Italian homes as part of the Christmas Eve buffet. It originated in Piedmont during the 16th century. Vegetable pieces are dipped into the sauce (a fondue-style fork will help) and then eaten, with a slice of bread held underneath to catch the drippings. Once the bread is soaked with sauce, it’s eaten, too. Then everyone starts over. Also delicious as a topping for grilled meats.
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic (about 6 medium cloves)
2 tablespoons chopped anchovy fillets (about 8 fillets)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
2 tablespoons fresh juice from 1 lemon
Chopped flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
In a heavy saucepan add olive oil. Over medium heat stir in garlic and anchovy and cook until garlic is lightly golden and anchovy has dissolved into the sauce, about 3 minutes. Stir in butter until melted. Stir in lemon juice and remove from heat. Serve warm.
SAUCE GRIBICHE
Makes about 1-1/3 cups
The roots of this sauce go back to the original Escoffier, creator of the bible of French cooking, first published in 1919. Delicious with fish no matter how you cook it
3 hard-boiled eggs, yolks and whites separated
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons chicken or vegetable stock
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon drained capers, chopped
1 tablespoon small cornichon pickles or black olives, finely diced
1 tablespoon chopped mixed fresh herbs such as parsley, chives, tarragon, chervil, etc.
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
In a blender add the egg yolks, mustard, stock and lemon juice and puree till smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the oil to form a smooth sauce. Finely dice egg whites and stir into sauce along with remaining ingredients. Store chilled and covered in refrigerator for up to 2 days.
TUNA SAUCE FOR PASTA AND DIPPING
Makes approximately 2-1/2 cups
In Italy, this sauce is traditionally served with “Vitello Tonnato” a classic dish of cold braised veal which is sliced and garnished with this sauce along with oil cured olives, lemon slices and braised young vegetables. I think it’s also delicious both with pasta as well as a dipping sauce for raw crunchy vegetables. This makes enough to sauce up to 1-1/2 pounds of dry pasta. If you are concerned about raw egg yolk, you can use one that has been coddled or even hard cooked.
3/4 cup fragrant olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 6-1/2 ounce can good tuna packed in oil
1 egg yolk
4 anchovy fillets, rinsed
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup or so rich chicken stock
3 tablespoons drained and chopped capers
1/3 cup minced flat leaf parsley
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
In a blender or food processor, add half the oil, garlic, tuna with its oil, egg yolk, anchovy and lemon juice and process briefly to puree. Place mixture in a small mixing bowl and stir in cream and stock gradually until sauce is of medium sauce consistency. Stir in capers and parsley and correct seasoning with salt and pepper. Toss with cooked pasta, either hot or cool.
WARM LEMON SAUCE
Makes about 1-1/2 cups
This is based on the famous Greek Avgolemono soup. It is ideally suited for delicate fish dishes.
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup slivered shallots or white part of green onions
2 cups fish, shellfish or chicken stock
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 teaspoons cornstarch
3 large egg yolks
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (or to taste)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Add the butter to a deep saucepan and sauté shallots for a minute or two or until they just begin to soften but not brown. Add the stock and wine and boil over high heat until the mixture is reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
In a separate bowl whisk the cornstarch, yolks, and lemon juice together until combined. Slowly whisk the stock mixture into the egg mixture to temper them. Return mixture to the pan and over moderate heat continue to stir until sauce thickens, about 3 minutes. Do not stop stirring or let the sauce boil or the eggs will scramble. If they begin to, immediately strain through a fine mesh strainer and add a little cold stock or water to cool down the mixture. Stir in dill and lemon zest and season to taste with salt and pepper.
YUM YUM SAUCE
Makes about 3/4 cup
This mayonnaise-based Japanese steakhouse sauce tastes wonderfully with grilled shrimp, chicken and vegetables, or drizzled over a plate of fried rice. Great on a burger, as a dipping sauce for fried tofu and French fries, or even as a salad dressing for crunchy lettuces such as iceberg. It’s an all-purpose sauce which should taste balanced with savoriness, sweetness, acid and gosoham, the Korean word that describes the nuttiness of sesame oil. Remember to salt well to pull all the flavors together.
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 tablespoon warm water
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup ketchup
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Salt
In a medium bowl, stir together the garlic powder, paprika and warm water. Add the mayonnaise, ketchup, rice vinegar and sesame oil, and season generously with salt. Stir until smooth.
Yum yum sauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
John Ash © 2024